# 1976–77 Marquette Warriors men's basketball team

The 1976–77 Marquette Warriors men's basketball team represented Marquette University in the 1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Warriors played their home games at the MECCA Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a Division I Independent.
They were led by head coach Al McGuire in his 13th and final year at Marquette. The Warriors finished the season 25–7. They received a bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Cincinnati, Kansas State, and Wake Forest to advance to the Final Four. At the Final Four, they defeated UNC Charlotte to advance to the National Championship game where they defeated North Carolina to win the National Championship.
Butch Lee, the tournament's most outstanding player, and Bo Ellis were the stars of a team that reflected the street-wise toughness of its coach. In the final AP poll released prior to the Sweet Sixteen, Marquette moved from sixteenth to seven in the rankings. Following the season, head coach Al McGuire retired.
Since this season, Marquette has returned to the Final Four only once, in 2003.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| December 1 | No. 2 | St. Leo | W 80–39 | 1–0 | 17 – Ellis | 10 – Toone | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 6 | No. 2 | Western Michigan | W 78–53 | 2–0 | 22 – Lee | 11 – Ellis | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 8 | No. 2 | at Florida | W 64–61 | 3–0 | 19 – Lee | 7 – Ellis | – | Florida Gymnasium (7,131) Gainesville, FL |
| December 11 | No. 2 | Penn State | W 79–49 | 4–0 | 18 – Lee | 13 – Whitehead | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 18 | No. 2 | No. 17 Louisville | L 75–78 $^{OT}$ | 4–1 | 30 – Lee | 11 – Ellis | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 21 | No. 6 | No. 20 Minnesota | L 59–66 | 4–2 | 17 – Whitehead | 12 – Whitehead | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 27 | No. 6 | No. 11 Clemson Milwaukee Classic | W 67–49 | 5–2 | 17 – Lee | 11 – Whitehead/Ellis | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 28 | No. 12 | Wisconsin Milwaukee Classic | W 64–57 | 6–2 | 25 – Lee | 7 – Whitehead | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 31 | No. 12 | at Northwestern | W 66–53 | 7–2 | 29 – Lee | 8 – Ellis | – | McGaw Hall (4,321) Evanston, IL |
| January 3 | No. 12 | Georgia Tech | W 63–45 | 8–2 | 18 – Lee | 10 – Whitehead | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| January 8 | No. 12 | South Carolina | W 65–54 | 9–2 | 18 – Lee | 8 – Ellis | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| January 11 | No. 11 | at Air Force | W 74–56 | 10–2 | 33 – Lee | 13 – Ellis | – | Clune Arena (5,400) Colorado Springs, CO |
| January 16 | No. 11 | No. 19 Notre Dame | W 78–69 | 11–2 | 27 – Lee | 7 – Whitehead/Lee | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| January 18 | No. 8 | at Drake | W 62–60 | 12–2 | 19 – Lee | 9 – Ellis | – | Veterans Auditorium (10,108) Des Moines, IA |
| January 22 | No. 8 | Xavier | W 85–43 | 13–2 | 17 – Ellis/Lee | 11 – Ellis | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| January 29 | No. 9 | at DePaul | W 85–64 | 14–2 | 21 – Lee | 7 – Ellis | – | Alumni Hall (5,448) Chicago, IL |
| February 6 | No. 6 | at No. 12 Cincinnati | L 62–63 | 14–3 | 19 – Lee | 15 – Whitehead | – | Riverfront Coliseum (13,358) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 9 | No. 9 | Loyola (IL) | W 81–71 | 15–3 | 22 – Ellis/Lee | 7 – Whitehead | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| February 12 | No. 9 | Manhattan | W 86–60 | 16–3 | 22 – Ellis | 8 – Whitehead/Ellis | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| February 14 | No. 9 | DePaul | L 72–77 $^{2OT}$ | 16–4 | 18 – Whitehead/Lee | 13 – Whitehead | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| February 16 | No. 9 | No. 15 Detroit | L 63–64 | 16–5 | 21 – Ellis | 9 – Whitehead | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| February 19 | No. 9 | Wichita State | L 64–75 | 16–6 | 15 – Lee | 9 – Ellis | – | MECCA Arena (10,938) Milwaukee, WI |
| February 21 | No. 9 | at Wisconsin | W 73–58 | 17–6 | 25 – Lee | 11 – Ellis | – | Wisconsin Field House (10,938) Madison, WI |
| February 26 | No. 18 | at Virginia Tech | W 75–70 | 18–6 | 22 – Lee | 9 – Ellis | – | Cassell Coliseum (10,000) Blacksburg, VA |
| February 28 | No. 18 | at Tulane | W 63–44 | 19–6 | 26 – Ellis | 13 – Ellis | – | (8,250) New Orleans, LA |
| March 5 | No. 19 | at Creighton | W 72–60 | 20–6 | 18 – Lee | 13 – Whitehead | – | Omaha Civic Auditorium (10,380) Omaha, NE |
| March 6 | No. 19 | at No. 3 Michigan | L 68–69 | 20–7 | 19 – Lee | 9 – Ellis | – | Crisler Arena (13,609) Ann Arbor, MI |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 12 1:00 pm, NBC | No. 16 | vs. No. 11 Cincinnati First round | W 66–51 | 21–7 | 17 – Ellis | 6 – Whitehead/Toone | – | Omaha Civic Auditorium (9,821) Omaha, NE |
| March 17 7:00 pm, NBC | No. 7 | vs. No. 16 Kansas State Regional semifinal | W 67–66 | 22–7 | 26 – Lee | 6 – Whitehead | – | The Myriad (10,185) Oklahoma City, OK |
| March 19 1:15 pm, NBC | No. 7 | vs. No. 9 Wake Forest Regional Final | W 82–68 | 23–7 | 20 – Ellis | 7 – Ellis | – | The Myriad (8,935) Oklahoma City, OK |
| March 26 1:15 pm, NBC | No. 7 | vs. No. 17 UNC-Charlotte Final Four | W 51–49 | 24–7 | 21 – Whitehead | 16 – Whitehead | – | The Omni (16,086) Atlanta, GA |
| March 28 7:15 pm, NBC | No. 7 | vs. No. 5 North Carolina National Championship | W 67–59 | 25–7 | 19 – Lee | 11 – Whitehead | – | The Omni (16,086) Atlanta, GA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Awards and honors

* Butch Lee, NCAA Men's MOP Award

## Team players drafted into the NBA

1977 NBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 1 | 17 | Bo Ellis | Washington Bullets |
Source: